Saints Take “Sticks Together” Nonprofit to Kenya
After Sarah Thompson M’25 was named college hockey’s “finest citizen” as the 2025 recipient
of the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award—becoming the first St. Lawrence University student and just the 12th female to receive the honor—she and her teammates set off in June for Kenya to represent both the Scarlet and Brown and Sticks Together, the nonprofit she founded.
Sticks Together uses hockey to bridge cultural gaps and bring joy to underserved communities around the world.
“What started as a simple desire to give back has grown into something much bigger,” says Thompson, who launched the initiative as an undergraduate at Syracuse University. She has since led humanitarian hockey trips to Argentina, South Africa, and the Philippines. “Seeing a child’s face light up as they score their first goal is a feeling I’ll never forget.”
The women’s ice hockey team was able to travel together to Kenya thanks to the generosity of Rick ’78 and Lori Ankerud. In collaboration with Thompson and Sticks Together, the Saints introduced hockey to local communities and also learned from their hosts about the role sport plays in Kenyan society.
With the guidance of Kenya Semester Program staff, the team experienced numerous transformative cultural exchanges. They connected with members of the Mathare Youth Sports Association, were welcomed into the Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School community, stayed with long-standing homestay families in the Nyeri region, gained firsthand insight into Professor Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement, and experienced the wonder of a safari through the Shaba and Samburu National Reserves.
